Josh McDaniels, the New England Patriots Offensive Coordinator who many, including himself, expect to be hired by the Las Vegas Raiders Managing General Partner Mark Davis as the next head coach. If that is the case, Mark Davis will prove he’s learned nothing after his failed move to bring a name head coach, Jon Gruden, back, and is poised to repeat the mistake with Josh McDaniels. The simple reason is that, like Gruden, there’s no concrete proof that McDaniels will produce a better record than the man who should have the job, Rich Bisaccia. Moreover, there is enough evidence for Raider Nation to fear that Josh McDaniels will bring nothing but losing seasons and turmoil.
The trouble is, Mark Davis is thinking that because he’s got the Raiders in Las Vegas, he’s got to feed the casino sponsors a famous name to be head coach. Of all of the current coaching candidates, there’s no better known name than Josh McDaniels, and one equally-well-known name Davis doesn’t seem to want but others think makes sense: Jim Harbaugh. But that does not make Josh McDaniels the best candidate, and his track record with players is one of discord and drama. Add in the backdrop of Las Vegas, and we’ve got potentially more trouble than in 2021.
Riddle me this: name the players Josh McDaniels had run-ins with when he was head coach before? Let’s see, there’s Wide Receiver Brandon Marshall, Wide Receiver Aaron Dobson, and pretty much any player that cries for more playing time. The idea that Josh McDaniels can go to Las Vegas and coach and get the best out of the Raiders ultra-talented players, given his track record of pissing off and not understanding young star, and particularly black NFL stars, is troublesome. (It also gives more value to USA TODAY Columnist Jarrett Bell’s claim of racist media bias against black coaches.) And now, I’m referring to his past stints as head coach in addition to his time as the Pats offensive coordinator. And let’s get to that, now.
Tom Brady Took Josh McDaniels Soul To Tampa Bay And Left Him In New England
There’s also this crazy idea that Josh McDaniels is some kind of quarterback whisperer. In other words, that he could make Derek Carr even better that what Jon Gruden and Greg Olson did. So, if that’s the case, then the New England Patriots stats in the after-Tom-era should reflect that, right? Ok. Let’s look at that.
If Josh McDaniels is good at NFL Offense without Tom Brady, why did his Pats rank 15th in 2021, 27th in 2020, and 15th in 2019? Now, what did Josh McDaniels do with Tom Brady? Well, the New England Patriots were 5th in 2018, number one in 2017, 4th in 2016, and 6th in 2015, 11th in 2014, 7th in 2013, number one in 2012, 2nd in 2011, 8th in 2010, 3rd in 2009, 5th in 2008, 1st in 2007 when they almost ran the table, and 11th in 2006, the first year of Josh McDaniels’ tenure as offensive coordinator.
Meanwhile, Tom Brady went to Tampa Bay, and ranked 7th in 2020 and then 3rd in 2021, a slight downgrade from Jameis Winston’s 3rd ranking in 2019, but that was due to Brady’s requested ball control passing play installations. The change landed the Bucs a Lombardi Trophy.
The point is, Josh McDaniels is nothing without Tom Brady and the record proves it. Mark Davis is clearly mistaking Coach McDaniels for his boss Bill Belichick; time to wake up and smell the coffee.
Josh McDaniels is not some quarterback whisperer, and I can make an argument that Byron Leftwich is, given that he’s coached both Jameis Winston and Tom Brady to record-setting levels in offensive designs not his own.
And Then There’s The Switch From The Bill Walsh Offense To The Perkins-Erdhart Offense
It’s a fair bet that extremely few realize that with Josh McDaniels, the Raiders will switch from The Bill Walsh System used by Bill Musgrave and Jon Gruden, and that Derek Carr is familiar with, to the New England Patriots Perkins-Erdhart system. This will make the first really true offensive change in the Derek Carr Era. The difference is that the Raiders Quarterbacks will have to learn a new terminology, and a new way of thinking about football offense that’s essentially modular: plays come where concepts like receiver pattern combinations have names, rather than just individual patterns called out. And Carr will have to remember them. The X-Factor is in how long it takes Carr to adjust. My question is why have him do that? The Raiders Offense was never the real problem, anyway: it was always the Raiders Defense. This idea of bringing in Josh McDaniels to focus on the offense is completely nuts.
Josh McDaniels Is No Replacement For Rich Bisaccia, Who Gets How To Deal With The Raiders Players In Las Vegas
Mark Davis is making a giant mistake. I am really concerned that the Las Vegas antics of 2021 will spill over into 2022 under Josh McDaniels . Unlike the great work of Rich Bisaccia, who got the Raiders into the playoffs in the worst football managerial weather one could see, Josh McDaniels not only lacks any comparable experience in that situtation, but massively failed in dealing with players who have addiction and mental illness problems. Just say no to Josh McDaniels – it’s not too late to change and drop the idea of bringing him to Las Vegas.
Stay tuned.